


Precipice

by SkylandMountain1013



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Melinda finally listens, Phil finally speaks, Post I Love You, but they have each other, post 5x18, things are going to be bumpy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-27 00:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14414091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylandMountain1013/pseuds/SkylandMountain1013
Summary: He had practiced. Like a goddamned middle school talking to their crush.It should have been easy- he knows how he feels.





	Precipice

**Author's Note:**

> Such good source material. So many fantastic fics right now. 
> 
> Throwing my hat into the ring.

Only when he knows the Zephyr is close to landing does he allow himself a moment of self-loathing. 

He had _practiced_. Like a goddamned middle school talking to their crush. 

It should have been easy- he knows how he feels. 

_I feel the same way._

_I know._

_I love you more than you can possibly imagine._

_Me too_. 

But like most things right now, he wasn’t even able to get through that without messing it up. 

His thoughts are thankfully interrupted by the hangar bay doors opening- everyone exiting looks worse for the wear, but at least in one piece. 

YoYo walks by him first, face ashen, dried blood caked around her temple. Her arms lay limp at her side. He starts to ask if she’s okay, but she shakes her head and heads towards the elevator. 

He meets May halfway up the ramp. “How did it go?”

“Perfect,” she spits. “Everything is fixed.” She shoves past him and he can only sigh. 

Daisy isn’t far behind, and he repeats his question to her. 

“We’ve got problems. Big ones.” 

Phil nods. “Ruby?” 

A shake of the head. “Bigger.” 

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Okay. What’s the plan?” 

“Don’t have one yet.” She tilts her head in contemplation and then takes a step closer. “But whatever is going on between you and May? We really don’t have time. So fucking figure it out.”

He groans. Somehow he’s managed to anger all the women in his life. “It’s that obvious, huh?”

Daisy narrows her eyes. “Yeah.” She claps a hand over his shoulder before walking away. 

Taking a deep breath, he heads off in the opposite direction. It’s not long before he catches up to Melinda in an empty hallway. 

“Hey,” he calls. She stops, but doesn’t turn around. “How long am I going to be in the doghouse for?”

Now she does spin to face him, arms crossed and face impassive. “Depends.”

He implores himself to keep talking. “It’s impressive, really. Being in this much trouble when we’re not-“

She cuts him off. “Not what, Phil?”

It throws him off. He can feel his brain locking up again, neurons firing but not reaching their destination. He swallows. 

She rolls her eyes and throws her hands up. “Find me when you grow a pair.” 

As she begins to walk away he knows in that instant- if he lets her leave for a third time- his chances will be up. 

And so he makes a decision. “Melinda,” he forces out. 

She stops moving and he takes it as a sign to continue. 

“I’ve loved you for years, okay? And half of that time I shouldn’t have and the other half the timing was wrong, or the job got in the way, or I was just too scared to make a move.” His hands are shaking as he shifts his weight from side to side. 

Her posture is still defensive, but he thinks he can see her expression softening. “And now?”

“We’re here.” He offers, wrapping his arms across his chest. It’s all he can give. 

“We’re here,” she repeats. 

He’s trying his best to read the situation but for all of his training he’s never been good at it when it comes to this- when it comes to them- and what they could be. He’s not sure what else he’s supposed to say. 

But then he realizes that maybe this is a situation that doesn’t need anymore words. 

So he takes a step forward, then another- it’s the most confident movement he’s had in weeks- and cups her face in his hands. 

Before he can talk himself out of it he slants his lips over hers. He almost misses the soft keening noise she makes as skin meets skin. His hand reaches up to tentatively run a hand through her hair, and while she’s not progressing things, she’s not pulling away either. 

When he backs up he can’t help but remember the last time he was in this position. Almost everything matches. He involuntarily braces for what comes next, the proverbial other shoe to drop. 

Thankfully Melinda- his Melinda- only smiles and reaches up on her toes to capture his mouth again. 

This time there is no hesitation from her. Her right arm snakes around his waist and her left curls around the fabric covering his heart. Her tongue slips past his lips and he reciprocates in kind. He can’t help the moan that bounces off her teeth. 

He shifts them backwards and using the wall as a brace, lifts her up to settle against him. Her legs wrap around his hips and he hisses at the contact. He thrusts shallowly against her as he moves to place open mouthed kisses against her neck. 

He’s maneuvering his hand to reach across her chest when alarms start to blare around them. 

Melinda’s eyes snap open. “Shit,” she breathes. She immediately shimmies down to the ground and tries to distinguish the sound. 

She is suddenly all business. “We’ve been breached.” She smooths our the front of her shirt. 

His eyes widen. “Yeah.” His brain is turning already. “Okay. Go get Daisy and the team assembled. We’ll need everything we can get. I’ll go try and see what’s waiting for us.”

“What? Absolutely not. You’re not going up there.” 

He doesn’t want to have this argument again. He opens his mouth to respond when he catches her gaze. It’s one of sheer panic. 

Oh. 

“No. It’s not what you think,” he says, interlacing his fingers with hers. “I promise.”

She bites her lip and nods. 

As he turns to leave she calls out his name. 

It’s her turn to be silent, staring at him- eyes watering, mouth slightly open. 

He speaks for the both of them. 

“I know. I do too.”


End file.
